Event: Of Blood and Honor Part 9a
I know, I know... There are parts of the "Of Blood and Honor" story that need work still. There are whole parts missing. But since we are technically moving into the new part of the anthology of "Blood Harvest" in our RPG campaign, I wanted to get oBoH wrapped up. I can still go back and finish the parts that are in need. It's time to get serious on the storyline and start to bring some arcs together. That's what Part 9 is all about. The climax begins here! Of Blood and Honor Part 9a: Drums of War Shasharra and Vrisa cleared the airlock first, trying to look as casual as they could. It was easy for them to blend in on a Shadowport, especially when they were used to having to conceal themselves on Imperial controlled worlds closer to the Core. The young man, Karse, followed a safe distance behind the pair, shadowing them, yet acting like he was part of the crew of the ship that had just docked, perhaps looking to enjoy some time at the bar or elsewhere. Despite how well everything was going, Shar couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling she’d had over the past couple days. Something wasn’t right with this whole situation. There was something in the air that made her feel like her stomach was tied into knots. It had only gotten worse once they came within view of Phantom Station. Something in the back of her mind kept telling her that Phantom Station was a bad place for her to be. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she was sure she should know this place and why it had significance that made her queezy. The man they called Reaper, while she had yet to meet him, was also a catalyst for her feelings of conflict. There was something about him that she knew was bad. He was Antrixian and perhaps she knew of him back in her childhood. If that was true, then perhaps he was a bad person that she had known to despise. The problem with that was that she didn’t know that many other Antrixians outside of her family. She didn’t even know if her family was still alive for sure. While her mind was occupied, she absently followed Vrisa, aware that they had entered the service areas and were making their way towards the lift station that could get them to the power core area. This is where they had to start focusing on the job and ignore their own, personal feelings on things that weren’t important. Karse’s friend, the female named Seska was waging the first part of the battle that started as soon as they docked. She was linked into the computer of the station, playing a game of cat and mouse, distracting security away from Shar and her group. Little did they know that Seska was in a conflict, the likes of which she had never been in before. The station’s computer was too good. It was managing to beat her on almost every front. But Seska was keeping it distracted. If this went the way it was planned, there was a mess of those stinky Mangalores waiting on Nacore’s ship, waiting to storm onto the station and begin this operation in earnest. Moments later, the trio of infiltrators had made their way into the bowels of Phantom Station and were busy planting the explosives that would disable the shadowport, leaving it open for assault. When completed, Karse stepped back, admiring their handy work. He pulled a small comm. device from his jacket and activated it. “The job’s done.” Karse said with a cocky smirk, just as the masked image of Reaper appeared above the comm’s surface. “''Good.” Reaper responded. “''Prepare yourselves. When we board, they will surely try to resist us. If my targets are here, I want them whole. The Strykia twins are mine. I will be the only one to deal with my brother and sister.” Shasharra was stunned. What she had just observed put her into a state of shock. The man she and her friend had agreed to help was the same man that had caused her to be separated from her family. He was the same man that had essentially help destroy everything in her life that could have been. This Reaper was Dontaine Strykia, the man that had committed treason against the Commonwealth, her family, her people… This attack was not merely an attempt to regain the Stones. This was a misguided attempt at some sort of revenge. Right then and there, Shasharra felt the first stirrings of pride in her heritage. She knew she had an honor to uphold. Forget the years of service to Zorg. Forget that she was who she was because of the help that she had received and how it had allowed her to survive. She had had dreams and thoughts of what her life would be like if she was next to Graydon and still among her people. She had an honor to uphold towards her family. Perhaps she could still make this right. “I’m sorry, Vrisa.” Shasharra spoke quietly, looking at her long-time companion. “I can’t do this.” Vrisa understood. She knew enough from her talks with Shasharra to realize what had just occurred. She had also met Graydon more than once. She knew that the man who was, at one time, supposed to become Shar’s husband, was honorable and decent. Hearing Reaper speak his name, Vrisa knew that Zorg had thrown his lot in with some evil forces. So, she simply nodded to Shar in understanding, but began backing away. This was still a job. That’s what she got paid for. This was how she ensured that help got sent back to Emberlene to help her own people. If Shar was going to bail, so be it. She wasn’t going to get involved any further. “You bastard!” Shasharra roared as she rounded on Karse Redlen. “You knew, didn’t you?” “Knew that we were after the Strykia twins?” Karse was almost giggling. “Sure. Reaper wanted us to get them before we went looking for the Stones.” “Why?” “Because Reaper is a madman.” Karse answered. “We’re all madmen, but at least I know that I’m playing with more cards in my deck than Reaper. Still, we want to keep him happy until we get the Stones.” Shar was silent from there on. Pulling the blade from under her jacket free, Shar charged at Karse, fulling intending to end him right there. Any ally of Reaper was now her enemy. Karse, however, was expecting her attack. When the blade fell, the space where he was standing was empty. Karse spun around, drawing his own blade. “What a shame.” Karse laughed. “You’re cute. Real cute. You and I, hell, we could have made a deadly combination.” Their blades crashed together as Shar charged him once again. Karse parried her blade away, surprised to find power and determination in her attack. He knew that he would need to change up his tactics. A proficient fighter himself, Karse dropped into the one form he knew he could get her with, the Echani style of fighting. How he had come to learn this style was just one of the mysteries that surrounded Karse. Having basically been raised to become a weapon for the Empire at one time, Karse had been captured early in his teen years and turned into something else. Now, he was a freelancing weapon that had yet to show his potential. Unfortunately, he was a potential weapon that had no qualms taking lives and being selfish enough to ignore the plight of others. Shar’s next attack was a wide, wild swing, intending on slicing the man in half. Instead of finding it’s mark, the attack met a vicious parry followed by a kick to her gut that sent her flying back against a bulkhead. Shar was stunned. Clearing her head, she saw determination now in the eyes of Karse. There was a cold, ruthlessness there also. Shar suddenly knew she had to focus just to survive this encounter. She was barely able to parry his first attack, and his second came quickly after that. Instead of being the attacker, Shar was now forced into defense, using everything she knew to combat this man. “It’s too bad I’ll be killing you.” Karse said, very seriously. “Zorg said that you might do this when you found out about ‘Lord’ Strykia. Too bad. I think our children would have been famous. Perhaps your friend will still be willing after I take your pretty head.” Vrisa had been the one safe place for Shar to land over the years. She was like Shar’s other half, more often than not. They were the closest of companions and friends. They always had each other’s back. So when Karse spoke ill of Vrisa, Shar found that her determination tripled. What Shar didn’t know was that Vrisa was watching and struggling with her own decision. Vrisa knew that Shar would turn back to her own people someday, especially if the Empire fell. It was a likelihood she had dreaded since Graydon Strykia had shown up on Son Tau over two years ago. Watching her best friend and constant companion now fight for her life was like watching her own arm being cut off. She felt nothing but intense pain for her friend. Hearing the animal Karse speak sent her over the edge with her decision. “No Karse.” Vrisa said, as-matter-of-factly. “You’re not my type.” The battle pitched as Karse now faced two opponents. It wasn’t the first time. But he knew this wouldn’t end well for him. Both of these women had fought together for a long time. They worked in tandem. So when he could, Karse began to give ground, backing up towards the lift that would carry him to safety. He played his parries perfectly, positioning the girls right where he wanted them. Then, using a punch and kick combo, following his parry, Karse sent both Shar and Vrisa stumbling back. It was enough to give him room to jump into the lift and close the door, locking them both in the reactor core, which would be destroyed soon. “Seska, my dear.” Karse said into his comlink as he leaned against the wall and panted. “Blow the bombs.” ---- Ro and Lorral sat in the Ops center, essentially lounging with their feet up on consoles and idly chit-chatting. For the most part, they were in charge of Phantom Station while Rena was away. Rena may have left Jolee in charge, but the two knew who was actually running the show. During the last twenty minutes, the lights had flickered three times. Once again, the lights flickered in Ops. Ro frowned as she looked over at Lorral. “Okay. That’s frakkin’ weird.” Ro said. “Ambrosia, what wrong with the power grid?” “''The power grid is running at ninty-seven point eight-seven-five efficiency. There is nothing wrong with it.” Ambrosia, the station’s artificial intelligence responded. “''I am, however, having to shift power allocations frequently to thwart someone attempting to penetrate my systems.” “What?” Ro sat up straight quickly. “Who?” “''The remote signal appears to be emanating from the starship that docked with the station thirty minutes ago.” Ambrosia stated. “''I was about to alert Tyr to investigate.” “Do it now, Ambrosia.” Lorral said as she sat up in her chair. “Lock down the corridors to and from the ship. Is there anything else happening?” “''I believe the internal sensors around the reactor corridors appear to be down also. A diagnostic program has been started for those particular areas.” “I smell a mynock!” Lorral growled. “Inform everyone we’re under an emergency.” “''Understood.” ---- Less than a half a light year away from Phantom Station, a small group of ships waited in the vastness of space. Older ships, from before the Clone Wars, these vessels made up the naval power of the Black Bloods, the forces of Lord Reaper. This was their final preparation for the assault on what Reaper deemed Graydon and Allyson Strykia’s forces. Reaper paced the bridge of the flagship, the Blacktooth, waiting for the signal that would mean he could proceed with his plan. Leaning against one of the support beams near the rear of the bridge stood Reaper’s new apprentice, Zena Dystraay. Zena watched intently. This coming attack would show her if the man had been boastful or if he truly could teach her to become more than she was. If he was lying, then she was gone. She’d steal a shuttle or something. But if he wasn’t… If Reaper was truthful then her future had suddenly become more than she had ever thought possible. Suddenly, Reaper’s handheld comlink signaled. Zena and Reaper’s second-in-command, Kurzon Xingus, looked at each other as Reaper activated the small holo device. “''The job’s done.” The image of the mercenary Karse said. It was easy to make out the cocky smirk on his face. “Good.” Reaper responded. “Prepare yourselves. When we board, they will surely try to resist us. If my targets are here, I want them whole. The Strykia twins are mine. I will be the only one to deal with my brother and sister.” With that, the transmission was terminated. Reaper turned to face Kurzon and Zena. One could almost swear that there was a smile underneath that mask. Reaper’s eyes had a bright red glow to them, giving away his Antrixian heritage. “Kurzon… Alert all commands. We finish this now!” ---- Shasharra and Vrisa had managed to deactivate three of the explosive devices as they simultaneously rounded the reactor to the last one. Both women were holding their breath as they began to reach for the device. Suddenly, Vrisa grabbed Shar’s hand, stopping her from grabbing the device. “There’s no time.” Vrisa said, a hint of wavering in her voice. Shar noticed the light on the device’s surface go from the “safe” green to the “armed and priming” red. Her heart jumped into her throat. “Quickly!” Vrisa screamed as she pushed Shasharra towards the lift doors. The turbolift shaft will work for shelter! The blast doors will protect us!” ---- “The airlock doors show that they’re working, but they’re either blocked open or somebody’s busted the actual mechanism that closes them.” Romena smacked her fists down on the console, a look of frustration on her face. “I can’t close off that yacht’s docking port.” “We could force the disengagement of their docking seal.” Lorral said as she scanned through the security feeds on her console. “Yeah, and we vent that whole section to space until we get some blast doors closed.” Ro responded. Suddenly, proximity alarms began to sound. Both girls gave each other a panicked look. “''Multiple hyperspace reversions have occurred approximately eight hundred meters from the station.” Ambrosia stated. “Are they Imperial ships?” Lorral asked as she frantically pulled up a sensor visual. “''That is a negative, Lorral.” Ambrosia responded. “''They conform with designs of Antrixian Commonwealth naval ships dating back to pre-Clone War eras.” With Ambrosia’s announcement, there then came a tremor throughout the station, shaking the girls in their seat. The lights in the ops center dimmed before returning to their usual brightness. Two monitors across the room exploded in sparks and went blank. “''There has just been an explosion in the reactor core.''” ---- Thirty minutes away from Phantom Station, in hyperspace, Alysanna Osgrey was finishing giving a tour of the cruiser, Damodred, to Graydon Strykia. Their last stop was in the hanger of the warship. “I have something special for you, my Lord.” Alysanna said as she keyed the hanger doors open. “The past few days have been full of surprises.” Graydon replied with a polite smile. “What’s one more?” Alysanna simply gave Graydon a smile and took his hand in hers, leading him across the hanger deck. It wasn’t a large hanger and most of the fighters it contained were suspended off the deck in racks. But there were a couple ships on the deck. One of them was covered by a large tarp, only it’s landing gear showing. As they approached the covered vessel, Alysanna released Graydon’s hand and quickly made her way to the ship. Once she reached it, she quickly began to pull at the tarp. After some work, the tarp finished sliding off of the craft on it’s own, pulled by it’s own weight and the artificial gravity of the hanger deck. Graydon could only stare for a moment as memories of his childhood on Antrixies came back. In front of him stood a Shoto-class fighter, the starship that was so often used by Jinsai during the Clone Wars. His mother had flown one on occasion, especially when she went off-world for a mission involving only her. The gray and black hull was just as he remembered it. There was also the Wofven symbol emblazoned in blue and gold near the nose of the craft. The craft was assigned to House Damodred, Graydon knew that much. “Well, my Lord. What do you think?” Alysanna asked as she gave Graydon a wide smile. “I think you’re trying to bring back some memories that I haven’t thought of in many years.” Graydon responded. “Your Uncle insisted on putting this on board as a gift to you.” “I’ve only flown a fighter a few times.” Graydon said politely. “I don’t think I have much use for a starfighter.” “This isn’t just any fighter.” Alysanna said with pride in her voice. “The Shoto fighters were a symbol of the Gai’din during the Clone Wars. The Jinsai that flew those rallied our forces all too often, especially flying into combat in a Shoto. They were and still are a special and rare sight, often bringing a fierce sense of pride in all members of the Commonwealth. This particular Shoto fighter was owned by Marissa Damodred-Strykia.” “My mother’s fighter?” “Yes, my Lord.” Alysanna beamed. “I… I don’t know what to say.” Graydon was almost at a loss for words as he approached the fighter and began running his hands over the outer hull. Seeing the fighter had been nostalgic, but now, knowing that it had belonged to his mother made it seem much more than just a machine and symbol. This was a piece of his past, as much as it was a part of his mother. “I think that once we reach our destination, you should indulge yourself in flying this ship, making it your own.” Continue Reading Category:Events